The Purple Turtle Bar
The Purple Turtle Bar is an independent bar and nightclub in Reading, UK, operating since 1990 from 9 Gun St. It serves local nightlife consumers with live music, club nights, beverage sales, and a Square-integrated mobile app for loyalty and in-app payments.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1990
- HeadquartersReading, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Purple Turtle Bar does
The Purple Turtle Bar is an independent bar and nightclub venue operating from a single site at 9 Gun St, Reading, United Kingdom. Founded in 1990 on Duke Street and relocated to its current Gun Street premises in 1997, the venue has run continuously for over 30 years and is described as one of the longest-running independent nightlife venues in Reading. The business serves a primarily consumer base of local residents, students, and gig-goers through three core offerings: live music and DJ events, club nights and admission-based entry, and on-premise beverage sales, with shisha service available in the garden on weekday evenings.
The venue operates a companion mobile application (the Purple Turtle App) available on iOS and Android, which provides in-app check-ins, digital loyalty cards, debit/credit payment registration via Square as the Level 1 PCI-DSS payment gateway partner, and location-based store identification. Data processing for the app is handled by PepperHQ Ltd under GDPR Article 6(1)(b). The combination of a single physical venue, a mobile self-serve channel, and a Square-integrated payment stack constitutes the operational technology backbone.
Revenue is generated transactionally across bar sales, entry/admission fees (with last entry at 1:30am weekends, 2:30am weekdays), and shisha sales, with staff retaining all card/cash tips and receiving a 25% staff discount on drinks. The venue operates 364 days a year from midday to 3-3:30am with no dress code, and customer acquisition relies on social media, an events page, and community word-of-mouth. The Purple Turtle is privately held with no disclosed investors, parent company, or institutional ownership.
The Purple Turtle Bar firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Purple Turtle Bar
- Legal name
- Purple Turtle
- Website
- https://purpleturtlebar.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1990
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Purple Turtle Bar is an independent bar and nightclub in Reading, UK, operating since 1990 from 9 Gun St. It serves local nightlife consumers with live music, club nights, beverage sales, and a Square-integrated mobile app for loyalty and in-app payments.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Purple Turtle Bar industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Nightlife Entertainment Venue
- NAICS
- Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (722410)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Neighborhood & Sports Bars (THAFAEAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Neighborhood Bars & Taverns (CRANACAA)
Keywords
Where The Purple Turtle Bar is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Reading
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Purple Turtle Bar business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Bar Sales: Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage sales at the physical venue. Staff receive tips from card or cash payments.
- Entry/Admission: Admission fees for club nights and events with last entry at 1:30am on weekends and up to 2:30am on weekdays.
- Shisha Sales: Shisha available in the garden from 8pm daily except Sundays.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
The Purple Turtle Bar product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Purple Turtle operates an independent bar and nightclub venue at 9 Gun St, Reading, UK, offering live music, DJ nights, club nights, sporting event viewings, and community gatherings. The venue is complemented by a shisha service in its garden area (available from 8pm daily except Sundays) and a companion mobile app that enables in-app ordering, location-based check-ins, digital loyalty cards, and payment processing via Square. The bar operates 364 days a year with extended hours until 3am-3:30am and has no dress code.
Product overview
The Purple Turtle Bar operates as a single unified venue offering nightlife entertainment including live music, DJ performances, club nights, and community events. The venue also provides a companion mobile application that enables mobile ordering, digital payments via Square integration, location-based check-ins, and digital loyalty functionality. Additional services include shisha in the garden area.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- The Purple Turtle Bar Venue An independent bar and nightclub venue in Reading, UK, operating since 1990. Offers live music, DJ nights, club nights, sporting event viewings, and community gatherings, including charity fundraisers. Open 364 days a year from midday until 3am-3:30am with no dress code.
- Purple Turtle Mobile App A mobile application for iOS/Android owned and operated by Purple Turtle that enables customers to check in to stores, register debit/credit card details, upload profile photos, and pay for purchases. Includes geographic location capture for store identification, digital loyalty cards, and personalised offers based on purchase history.
- Shisha Service
Companies that use The Purple Turtle Bar
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
The Purple Turtle Bar technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature1 record
The Purple Turtle Bar partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- ReadipopcoreThe Purple Turtle works alongside Readipop organization to support Reading's creative scene. The venue participates in Readipop's annual festival and helps with community initiatives, demonstrating commitment to local arts and culture development.
- PepperHQ LtdcorePepperHQ Ltd operates as a data processor for the Purple Turtle App, handling mobile application data processing and storage under GDPR compliance requirements.
- SquarecoreSquare serves as the payment gateway partner for the Purple Turtle App, providing Level 1 PCI-DSS certified payment processing. Card details are stored with Square rather than on the app itself.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights3 records
The Purple Turtle Bar competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- JD Wetherspoon: Largest UK pub operator with a Reading town-centre estate. Broader incumbent competing for the same local drinking and casual-night-out customer base, but as a national chain rather than an independent music venue.
- Revolution Bars Group: UK-wide cocktail bar and late-night venue operator with Reading presence. Broad incumbent competing for the same young-adult nightlife cohort but at national scale with significantly larger marketing and digital budgets.
- Slug & Lettuce: National UK cocktail bar chain with Reading venues targeting a similar young-adult, casual-drinking customer base. Competes on convenience and value rather than live music programming.
- All Bar One: National UK cocktail bar chain operating in Reading. Broad incumbent targeting a similar casual-drinking and pre-nightout audience, but as a chain without the indie live-music proposition.
Direct peers
- The Face Bar: Long-running independent bar and live music venue in Reading town centre, targeting a similar student and young-adult nightlife audience. Directly comparable on geography, scale and programming mix.
- The Lexington: Independent pub and live music venue in London with an events-led, no-dress-code ethos supporting emerging artists. Comparable on community-driven, indie live music bar model.
- Sub89: Independent live music and club venue in Reading, UK, operating a comparable small-team, events-led bar and nightlife model. Most directly comparable local competitor sharing the same micro-market and customer base.
- Rescue Rooms: Independent mid-sized live music and club venue in Nottingham running a similar small-team, mixed bar-plus-admission revenue model. Comparable on programming-led nightlife economics.
- The Leadmill: Long-running independent music venue and bar in Sheffield, UK, with comparable heritage positioning, emerging-artist programming and small-team operations. Similar independent music-led nightlife proposition.
- Brudenell Social Club: Independent, community-rooted live music and club venue in Leeds, UK, with a similar events-led bar model, local-talent focus and small operating team. Closest like-for-like peer outside Reading on operating philosophy and scale.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Purple Turtle Bar social profiles
Digital presenceThe Purple Turtle Bar compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
The Purple Turtle Bar financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Purple Turtle Bar leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
The Purple Turtle Bar funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Purple Turtle Bar M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Purple Turtle Bar
What does The Purple Turtle Bar do?
The Purple Turtle operates an independent bar and nightclub venue at 9 Gun St, Reading, UK, offering live music, DJ nights, club nights, sporting event viewings, and community gatherings. The venue is complemented by a shisha service in its garden area (available from 8pm daily except Sundays) and a companion mobile app that enables in-app ordering, location-based check-ins, digital loyalty cards, and payment processing via Square. The bar operates 364 days a year with extended hours until 3am-3:30am and has no dress code.
Is The Purple Turtle Bar a public or private company?
The Purple Turtle Bar is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Purple Turtle Bar founded?
The Purple Turtle Bar was founded in 1990. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Purple Turtle Bar based?
The Purple Turtle Bar is headquartered in Reading, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does The Purple Turtle Bar make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Bar Sales are the primary driver. The others are entry/Admission and shisha Sales.
Who are The Purple Turtle Bar's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are JD Wetherspoon, Revolution Bars Group, Slug & Lettuce and All Bar One. Direct peers are The Face Bar, The Lexington, Sub89, Rescue Rooms, The Leadmill and Brudenell Social Club.
Does The Purple Turtle Bar have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Purple Turtle Bar.
What industry is The Purple Turtle Bar in?
The Purple Turtle Bar's product category is Nightlife Entertainment Venue. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFAEAA, Neighborhood & Sports Bars, with a secondary code of CRANACAA, Neighborhood Bars & Taverns. Its NAICS code is 722410 and its SIC code is 5810.